


The Trouble with Tali's Big Brother

by debbystitches



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 21:32:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18668779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debbystitches/pseuds/debbystitches
Summary: Tony's new family has trouble with help from an unlikely source





	The Trouble with Tali's Big Brother

In the window above the shadowed figure a silhouette of a young man passed. The teenager could not sleep. He was pacing the floor when a shot rang out from behind his house. The glass broke in Rich’s far window just nano-seconds after he had moved from it. Three more shots hit the house then the next window in line hitting the lamp which illuminated the room. Rich had hit the floor the moment the first window broke. He belly-crawled to his door and down the hall. Rich met his brother Kevin at the top of the stairs. They waited before going down. Rich’s step father, Tony came out of the room he shared with Rich and Kevin’s mother. They watched the man push the button just outside the bedroom which lowered the shades on that side of the living room and blocked the view into the house from the west. Tony with his 9 mm in his hand waved the boys into his room as he moved down the hall. Kevin and Rich stepped into the bedroom Tony had just left. They stepped into the large closet and waited. Kevin took Ella his niece from his mother as Tony took Tali. His mother put her hand on the scanner screen behind her dresses and a door opened. 

The dimly lit stairwell went down to a safe room. Kevin and Rich had played games where they had to get down into the room as the house was being built. Rich still drilled with Kevin once a month. Rich new how important it was because of the kids in his school. Rich was in 9th grade. Because of his poor performance in school he was in the classes with the worst students. In one of these classes he had made the mistake of pissing off the school bad ass. Max was a very troubled kid. Rich had mentioned taking food to the poorer families at Thanksgiving one day. Rich had hoped he could get his classmates to participate in the deliveries to the needy family’s. Max and his family were on that list of needy families. Max didn’t like it that Rich might see his name so he threatened Rich. “Do-gooders don’t live long in this class.” Rich’s blood ran cold at the word “live.” Rich back tracked on his recruiting efforts. He kept a low profile from that point on. Max didn’t really drop it though. Everyday Max would do something to Rich. He would walk past Rich and act like Rich tripped him. He would smack Rich in the head with his elbow. He even managed to stab Rich in the neck with a freshly sharpened pencil. Soon Max’s friends were also participating. Rich got moved to another seat in the class room but the bullying kept going in the halls. 

Rich finally told his teacher, counselor and principal he was refusing to attend classes with Max in them. The first class he skipped got Rich suspended. Rich took to wearing pointy toed cowboy boots to school. When he encountered one of the bullies in the hall he was quick to kick when attacked. After being suspended another time, (y/n) decided he could no longer wear the boots to school. She checked them closely. Rich’s father had been bullied at school in his teen years. The man had put finishing nails in the points of his boots to do more damage when kicking. (y/n) didn’t think that Rich had know about the nails, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Kevin took his brother shopping the next day. They went to a specialty shoe store where Kevin bought Rich 3 pairs of steel toed shoes. They didn’t look like typical work boots. “Mom won’t notice the difference. I’ve been wearing these for years.” Kevin commiserated with Rich. Max’s older sister had been in Kevin’s classes. She had been just as much of a troublemaker Kevin was a good target for her because of his academic achievements. 

The week before Max had told Rich to skip the Thanksgiving deliveries or else. Rich didn’t understand why so he blew Max’s warning off. Kevin and his buddies delivered to Max’s house on Thanksgiving. Kevin recognized Max and his sister. Max recognized Kevin and cussed him out as the small group of young men left. Kevin had warned Rich later that evening. “Max said he was coming for you because you would let out his secret.” Rich paced in his room for the rest of the night. Then his window exploded. 

Outside, the woman in the shadows ducked down and moved toward the shooter. She found him sitting on the top of a house 3 doors down from her daughter. The shadow woman climbed up the ladder the young men on the roof had used. Staying low she kicked the feet from under one shooter while taking his rifle from him. The boy she attacked slid down the roof into the bushes on the far side of the house. The shadow woman then put the rifle to the head of the other shooter. Once the teen girl had let her rifle slide down the closer side of the roof, Ziva tied her hands with two zip ties she always had on her. Hearing the sirens getting closer Ziva unloaded the rifle she held and descended the ladder. She made her way to the fallen teen boy. He was groaning in pain because he had broken his shoulder falling from the roof. Ziva zip-tied his legs together and his good arm to his ankles. Ziva moved to the alley where they had parked their truck. She turned on the flashers and the headlights on bright which shone on the young woman on the roof. Ziva moved into the shadows again jumping a fence across the street then the back fence into the wooded area behind the church that backed up to the neighborhood. 

The phone call from the police chief told (y/n) that the coast seemed to be clear. (Y/n) met Chief Ed Taylor in at the back door while she lowered the rest of the shades. Tony had stayed down stairs with the girls and Kevin. Rich had come up to talk to the police. Rich sat at the table talking to Karen Evans the first detective on the scene. He told her what he had done. Then she asked why he had practiced getting down the stairs like he did. Kevin opened up about the problems at school. Chief Taylor came in then to tell Detective Evans, they may have caught the shooters. He explained that a young woman was found bound on a house not far away. Her brother was in the bushes on the far side of the house with a broken shoulder and was also bound. Tony came up at that point and shook hands with the Chief and the detective. He told the professionals in the room that he had left his gun on the top shelf of the book case in the hallway, so they could secure it while they worked upstairs. Tony then produced his credentials. He had been working part time with a local sheriff’s department. He also had a private investigator’s license. (y/n) told the force where they would also find her pistol and gave them the combination to the gun safe it was in along with the one in the closet. 

(y/n) moved to the living room to her knitting chair. She picked up the mindless knitting she was doing for Aunt Jackie. The boucle yarn of Lion’s Brand Homespun, was working into a large square. In the low light (y/n) could still knit by feel getting to the corners she would find the marker and yarn over in the appropriate spots. She sat there waiting. Rich talked to Chief Taylor at the table next while Detective Evans went upstairs with the crime scene specialists. Tony was allowed to go to the garage and pack go bags he kept stored there in the SUV. When the family was released from talking to the police they left the house. Tony took them to down town Tulsa to the newly renovated Hyatt Regency. Sr., Aunt Jackie, Tommy and Jo joined them checking in to suites on different floors. Tommy and Jo took their daughter Ella to their suite. Kevin went to the suite with Sr. and Aunt Jackie. Rich went into the suite with Tony, Tali and his mom. The families slept later than two little girls would have liked the next day. The families gathered at a restaurant in the Arts district to have breakfast. “I’m not sure what might be going on except that they seemed to be aiming for Rich so we’re taking him and Tali out of town. Kevin says he is going to stay because of work. He’s going to stay with a friend. Aunt Jackie and Sr., I would like for you to join us until things are settled.” Aunt Jackie said no, they were booked on a cruise for the next two weeks and were leaving on Saturday. Jo laid her hand on (y/n)’s arm. “We’re going to my family’s cabin for the rest of the weekend. The remodel on our house starts Monday so we will be staying in an apartment down the road. We will be okay.” 

Tony and (y/n) talked about where to go. They decided on Oklahoma City for the rest of the weekend then maybe on to California. Hugging the other family members Tony, (y.n), Tali and Rich left for the drive to OKC. “I have the rooms booked. Rich you get your own room there. Are you looking up places you would like to go? I texted my cousin Claire. She will watch Tali if you and I have a late night activity.” “Oh, I like her, she was the one that sang at our wedding right, with her son and daughter?” Tony asked. “Yep. Jo’s dad has boarded up the windows and will order the replacements. When the police are done with the room, he will fix the walls and paint. Rich, do you want to pick a new color for your room?” Rich shook his head. He knew his mom would redecorate anyway. He looked over her shoulder to see her on her favorite décor shopping site. Rich put in his earbuds and looked out the window. He wasn’t listening to music or anything. He just wanted to think. A text from his best friend came through.   
“Max and his sister have been arrested. Word on the Google pages are that they got caught with guns in Sand Springs.”   
Rich replied:  
“I think they are the ones that shot out my bedroom windows last night.”  
“wa?”  
“someone shot at my room last night, they hit my windows and the wall between.”  
“dude”  
“I’m out of town if anyone asks. Don’t say any thing about the house, K?”  
“Where are you going?”  
“dk, mom likes to plan long road trips”  
“k cu”

Rich wasn’t about to tell anyone where he was. He hid his motions while he pulled the battery out of his cellphone and dropped it in the floor. Rich went back to staring out the window.   
Tony took Rich to the batting cages while (y/n) and Tali hit the yarn and fabric shops on Saturday. Sunday they watched every movie they could at a cinemaplex. Monday they were talking about destinations when a phone call came in for Tony. Director Leon Vance was on the line. “DiNozzo, do you want to tell me why a Sand Springs Police Detective called about finger prints today?” Tony shook his head to wake up. “Who’s finger prints Director?” “They claim to have Ziva David’s finger prints.” “What are you doing in Sand Springs, Oklahoma with something with Ziva’s finger prints on it.” “Well, Director, I married a woman that lives there and we brought all of our stuff from Paris to the states. They must have found one of Tali’s books or something in Rich’s room.” At that moment Gibbs broke in, “Tony, why were the police in your step-son’s room?” Tony went through the story of the shooting. He ended the phone call with a “yes boss.” “Gibbs says we can come stay at his place.” (y/n) shook her head. “Tony, I know they are your friends, but I don’t want to seem I’m putting Rich under protective care.” “Let’s go to California instead.” Tony replied before taking (y/n) in his arms. They kissed until Rich started gagging in the door way between the two rooms. 

After a long day at Disneyland, Rich was in a discord chat with his friends in his hotel room. A Google message came up in the corner. “R, it wz Max tha shot @ u hz sister wz braggn at skool” Rich called Tony into his room and had him read the message. Tony called Chief Taylor. “Sorry Mr. DiNozzo, I really can’t talk about an on going investigation. I do have a question for you though, how did your ex’s finger prints get at my crime scene? Isn’t she dead?” Tony replied, “All of Tali’s things from Paris have the potential to have Ziva’s finger prints. I can’t remember what I bought and what my daughter already had. Why does this matter?” “No sir, these prints were on the rifles that the two teens were using.” Tony lost his breath when he heard those words. He dropped the phone. He sat on the spare bed in Rich’s room. Rich looked up at him. “Mom, You better get in here. I think Tony is having a stroke.” “Rich, he’s not old enough to have a…” (y/n) replied padding through the adjoining doorway. She came around the bed to touch Tony’s shoulder. He shrugged away from (y/n). “Tony?” Tony stood and brushed past her. He closed the door behind him and locked the door. (y/n) was confused she looked around the room then found Tony’s phone on the floor. 

Chief Taylor was still on the phone when she went to hang up. (y/n) spoke to him and learned what was going on. Her heart broke for her husband, and her little girl. She sat on the spare bed and looked at the phone. She looked at the messages between herself and Tony. She flipped through pictures until she found one of just Ziva in a bikini and a big hat. If Ziva was alive where did that leave (y/n) and her kids in Tali and Tony’s life? The tears started to fall then. She lay down with the phone and sobbed quietly while Rich continued to play on the laptop. He had his earbuds in so he didn’t hear his mom’s crying. 

Tony sat on Tali’s bed wordlessly playing with the things his daughter handed him. Ziva, Ziva, ZIVA, ran through his mind. He saw her in his memories overlaying reality. Things she used to do at work could easily be manipulated to be right here in the hotel room with their daughter. When Tali asked for her bedtime snack Tony realized it had gotten dark in the room. The light from the television was the only light. He turned on the bedside lamps. He pulled veggie sticks and hummus from the mini fridge then started the hot cocoa his daughter liked. He sat the tray over her lap then she asked about Maman. (y/n), ah, Tony’s heart lurched. Where was she? He went back to the door between the two rooms, he unlocked it and stuck his head in. The room was dark except for the light from Rich’s laptop. (y/n) was in the bed closest to Tony’s position. She was asleep with her arms wrapped around a pillow. That was the way she slept when Tony got up in the night or early in the morning to go to work. He didn’t know what he should do. Should he wake her? Tali called for him just as he stepped toward his wife on the bed. 

When y/n awoke the next morning she grabbed her things from the other room and showered in Rich’s bathroom. She carefully applied makeup and rolled her hair. Once she was dressed she packed up her things and Rich’s. She had moved to the other room and was trying to be as quiet as possible when there was a knock at the door. Two deep voices announced they were NCIS Agents. Tony came to his feet then and asked to see ID’s through the peep hole. Recognizing the agents, He opened the door. (y/n) had sat at the table across the room he introduced, Agent Sam Hannah and Agent G Callen, to his wife. “Tony” Sam started, “Hetty got word about Ziva’s finger prints from Director Vance. She thought you might have more knowledge than you are sharing. She sent us here to see if you would be willing to talk.” Tony looked at his daughter who was starting to tear up at the mention of her mother’s name. He pulled her out of bed and held her close. “Sam, Callen, I don’t think I can say much more than I told Chief Taylor. I certainly don’t want to talk about her in front of my daughter.” He hesitated a minute looking around then added “or my wife.” (y/n) stood to take Tali from Tony. He pulled back from the woman at first then handed the girl over. He watched two of the most important women in the world disappear in the room next door shutting both doors between him and Rich’s room. 

Callen started, “We could take you somewhere else to discuss this. That way (y/n) and Tali could have access to this room.” Tony wanted to agree but some how he was reluctant to let Tali get that far from him. He shook his head. “If there’s something involving Ziva going on, I’m not getting very far from my daughter.” “But your wife?” Sam started. “Yes, my wife, I’ve seen enough noir to be leery of every one right now.” Tony replied feeling like he had just rejected his marriage fully if there was a chance to be with Ziva. The three men discussed the situation more then the Agent’s left. Tony knocked on the connecting door. (y/n) opened it. He eyes were cold. Her face was frozen in a calm smile. She started talking about going home. She started packing. Tony tried to say things, wanted to make her stop. She came here to protect her son. Now she was losing her marriage and Tali instead. 

“I saw her Tony.” (y/n) whispered. Tony leaned in. “I’ve seen her. She’s been just around the end of the isle at Walmart. She been a far away face at the park. She’s been the woman walking past the shop windows when I have Tali at work. She’s been in the alley when I come back from errands and Tali and Ella are playing in the side yard. I’ve even seen her at Tommy’s house and workplace. I figured it was my imagination. Like when I would see … Rich’s father everywhere. I felt haunted by her, now well, now, she’s real. I’m going home. Rich needs to go back to school and I need to get back to my life, my family. If you would prefer not to come I understand.” Tony didn’t say a word he just packed his stuff and put it with hers.   
Callen and Sam met them at the airport. “We think there’s something going on in Oklahoma so if you don’t mind, we would like to come along.” Just then another couple walked up to join them. Tony introduced Kinsey and Deeks to (y/n), Tali and Rich. The whole group boarded the private plane to fly back to Oklahoma. Tony started talking about sleeping arrangements. (y/n) broke in. “My aunt owns the house across the alley, she’s out of town. There are three extra bedrooms there or any group of you can have Kevin’s room, the couch and Tali’s room. Rich’s room is full of paint fumes and doesn’t have a bed right now. Rich says he’s sleeping in the panic room.” It was decided that the partners would trade off days in Tony’s house. Rich spoke up then. “Mom, I want to move to the virtual academy for the rest of the school year.” “Rich, I don’t think that is a good idea.” She took her son to the front of the cabin to discuss the schooling. 

Rich didn’t get his way. A team from another NCIS office came to shadow him at school. They were young and looked like students. Tony got a call from Ellie Bishop in D.C. half way through the next week. She asked him some very interesting questions but wouldn’t explain why. The next morning she and Gibbs were on Tony’s front porch. Tony had taken leave from the Sheriff’s department. He and one of the L. A. teams followed every strange woman lead they could find. When Gibs and Bishop showed, Sam and Callen started going to work with (y/n). She taught Sam how to mat and frame pictures. Callen liked the long arm quilting machine so he would supervise the room or sit in the office and watch the security cameras. 

At the end of the week when Sam and Callen were busy in the shops, (y/n) climbed the back stairs to the apartment on the third floor. She discovered Ziva in the apartment. Ziva held a pistol to her head while searching for wires and weapons. (y/n) sat down in a dining chair and Ziva zip tied her to it. Tony came up the stairs to find (y/n) with Gibbs and Bishop behind him. Ziva put her pistol back to (y/n)’s head and told them not to come in. They all put their pistols and knives on the stairs and came in. Tony was first to rush Ziva. He batted the gun away then wrapped the woman in his arms. He leaned in to kiss her deeply before moaning words into her ear. (y/n) looked away while Gibbs cut her loose. She dove from the chair to the powder room of the apartment. In there she vomited severely for long minutes. Tony and Ziva didn’t notice. Gibbs finally broke the couple apart. Head slapping Tony he demanded answers. 

Ziva told Gibbs what he needed to know. “I followed Sr. here from D.C. last year. I had been looking for Tony and Tali for quite a while. I have been moving from one rented room to another for the last 6 months. I had heard in Paris that Tony and Tali were being targeted. I was out of Paris the month Tony met (y/n). I did all I could to check her out. When she met you and the team in D.C. I knew I could rest easy. I laid trails to Africa, Thailand, Central and South America so that no one would know where Tony and Tali had moved to. I covered their tracks when they went to the islands last winter. I had to go back to Paris and Israel to handle people that were planning things. I took jobs but always managed to get here to check on everyone. Thanksgiving night I was in the alley when the Graham kids pulled up. I watched them go to the house down the alley. I went to Tali’s window. When they started shooting at Tony’s house, I went down there to stop them.” “You touched the rifles with your bare hands.” Gibbs interjected. Ziva deflated then. “You faked your death?” Ellie asked. Ziva looked at the petite blond. “No, that was a botched hit. One of the young women from the nearby village had died. Her final wishes were to be buried in the grove. Her body was there for Shiva.” “That’s why there were so many witnesses.” Ellie added. “I helped save the grove and put out the fire then was mistaken for one of the men, so I was able to walk away.” “We have so much to do.” Tony said, “We have to get you declared undead…” Ziva broke from his arms then. “No, Tony, you may still be in danger. I still have people after me.” It was then they heard the sirens as all of the cars from the police station left for the high school. Ellie, Gibbs, Ziva and Tony ran down the stairs. Callen was on the phone. “Our team with Rich have encountered shooters in the Ninth Grade Center. They have Rich secured in a shelter area in the school. Chief Taylor is asking for our help in clearing the school. Last report we had 4 shooters with back packs and duffle bags.” Tony led them to a storage cabinet with tactical gear for 10 in it. Each took a bag. The group rushed out to a truck parked out front they jumped into the back and cab then took off.   
Chief Taylor and the command post were staged in the field house parking lot. Students were being escorted from the school to the field house and performing arts building. The chief handed them tablets with the floor plan of the school on it. Tulsa’s swat team was coming in. Tulsa County Sheriff’s deputies and Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers were showing up. Parents there to pick up their kids were being redirected to the Plaza Court parking lot. The buses were moved to the student parking lot end to end an officer parked them by two doors as cover for escaping students. Gibbs, Ellie, Tony and Ziva entered through the Auditorium entrance. Callen, Sam, Kensie and Deeks took the back entrance at the end of the red hall. The police force had a team in one wing of the school. The sheriff’s department was clearing the ninth grade center with a team of 7. 

When the shooting had started the bullet-resistant glass did its job. Those in offices behind the glass were able to retreat into other offices with the same glass or reinforced doors then into shelter areas. When the alarm sounded teachers were able to secure their doors to the hallway. Making contact with the police department the teachers used secondary doors into other classes and were funneled out exits that had been cleared. Gibbs and his team discovered one of the kids setting an explosive in the cafeteria. The teen had been so intent on his task he didn’t hear the team approach. He was pulled away from the bomb and secured before he could set the timer. 

A shooter was in the middle of an asthma attack in the ninth-grade center. He was digging through his bags for a rescue inhaler when the SSPD team found him. The top floors and east wing were evacuated with one of the shooters hiding in plain sight. A teacher realized he was not part of the class he had walked in with. The School Services Officer was able to sneak up on him. The final shooter was in the library setting fire to the books. He and his makeshift flame thrower had actually burned themselves into a corner. He was trying to use the fire extinguisher to keep his own canister from exploding. Unfortunately, the canister did explode but the teen had managed to turn a bookshelf over on it first. He sustained a few cuts and percussive bruises with his concussion. In the end the found that 2 of the planners had skipped out on the activities. They were driving to fast down the major interstate when they came across a work zone. Trying to zip between a semi truck and the road narrowing barrier they hit the concrete barrier and flipped their SUV. Rich and his guards were finally located. They were taken out a different door and into a secured car to go to the police department instead of being brought to the field house. Rich was glad his guards weren’t outed as police and that he wasn’t discovered to be the target. Max’s father was arrested the following day when Max’s sister told her jailers that he had been stock piling weapons and explosives for the attack on the high school. Max’s mom and 2 youngest siblings moved away the same day. They were suspected of moving down to Texas to be with the grandparents. 

After days and days of questioning, Ziva was cleared of wrong doing for attacking Max and his oldest sister. Her death would take longer to clear up so until then she would be heading to New Orleans to hide. Tony was not allowed to go with her to protect Tali. The private airplane she boarded to fly down there exploded mid-flight. The small plane she actually took to fly to New Orleans made it with no problems. The Marines that flew the larger plane all made it back to the ground with no problems. (y/n) was sorry to lose her first private plane. Tony and Ziva decided to go back to the way things were before Rich was attacked. 

For months afterward (y/n) and Tony would sit on the back deck talking in the moon light. Tony had apologized over and over. (y/n) was not moved. She had been hurt severely by Tony’s actions in the apartment that day. Tony hoped in time things would get better but eventually he and Tali moved across the alley to be with Sr. and Aunt Jackie. The day he signed the divorce papers Ziva called him to say the coast was clear. (y/n) packed the tiles from the headboard and shipped them to Gibbs. She hired a company to pack up her house and store the contents. Rich moved in with Tommy and Jo after being enrolled in a small private school in Tulsa. Kevin stayed as a roommate to his friends in Tulsa. (y/n) sold her house and Aunt Jackie sold hers. The two took a crochet cruise to Alaska. Upon returning (y/n) sold her shops, buildings and parking garage to the family that ran the café in the building. She spent the summer on a small island off the North Carolina Coast.


End file.
